Fr. Thomas Onabe - The Lord is My Shepherd, There is Nothing I shall Want

The lord is my shepherd I shall not want
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FRIDAY JULY 16, 2021
FRIDAY OF THE FIFTEENTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
Exodus 11:10-12:14
Matthew 12:1-8

THE BLOOD OF JESUS: GOD’S MERCY TO THE WORLD.

The great Passover of the Old Testament attests to the great deliverance of the people of Israel from the slavery of Egypt and from the hands of Pharaoh. God commanded that the memorial of this event be kept by the Israelites to recall God’s mercy and love over them.

The first reading recalls for us this great Passover event in which the people were saved, delivered and granted new life and new beginning. That they were saved by the blood of the lamb smeared in the lintel of their door post. That the Passover meal was eaten in haste and celebrated as a feast to commemorate this great event as a testimony of God’s great love and mercy. And this Passover event was prescribed to be kept as an annual event in commemoration of their deliverance from Egypt.

It is an action of God. A saving mystery of God done for the sake of his people. It is a foretaste and a memorial to be celebrated and recalled in order to show that God is great in the life of the people. That God’s action is for their benefit. That God never abandons nor forsakes his people. That God cares, loves and takes absolute pride in his people.

The celebration of this Passover is to keep the memorial of their deliverance and pass it from one generation to another for their faith to be strong in God.

In the gospel, Jesus is accused of breaking the law of the sabbath for allowing his disciples to pluck and eat grain on the sabbath. Recall that the law properly is to keep the sabbath day Holy. It’s interpretation by these people added about thirty nine other prescriptions that made plucking and eating of grain on sabbath a transgression of the law of the sabbath of which he was accused of in today’s gospel.

Needless to say that Jesus in allowing his disciples, who were hungry and worn our as a result of their journey to pluck and eat the grains was the one found guilty of this offense against the sabbath.

In answer to this allegation, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of what David did in those days, how he ate the the bread meant for the priest alone. Jesus declared to the Pharisees their pettiness and insensitivity of their allegation. He called their attentions to their unwanted criticism,
Judgement and condemnation. But more importantly, Jesus drew their attention to two facts that they had not understood. First, that what God desires is mercy, love and compassion not sacrifice and not criticism, condemnation or judgement. And secondly, that Jesus himself is the Lord of the sabbath. He came to fulfill the demands of the sabbath. He is today celebrated on the Sabbath, reverenced on the sabbath. Venerated as the central figure of the sabbath. He has fulfilled the desire of God of haven redeemed man, becoming the liberator of man as in the Passover feast, and then celebrated on the sabbath as the deliverer of mankind, the savior of the world and the Lord of the sabbath.

The blood of Jesus becomes the life wire of the life of all Christians. The sabbath becomes the occasion of recalling and celebrating his act of deliverance and his love and mercy over mankind. Let us keep celebrating, and avoid all forms of criticisms, judging or condemning.

Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ is the Passover victim that brought our salvation by his blood. May his blood smeared on our lips save us, deliver us and shield us from all harms of body and soul. May the Passover feast we celebrate daily bring us your saving help and shower us with his blessings through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno

Responsorial Psalm.
The lord is my shepherd;
There is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
There he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me;
He revives my soul. R.

He guides me along the right path,
For the sake of his name.
Though l should walk in the valley of the
Shadow of death,
No evil would I fear, for you are with me.
Your crook and your staff will give me comfort. R

You have prepared a table before me
In the sight, of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
My cup is overflowing. R
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life.
In the lord’s own house shall I dwell
For length of days unending. R